Rail car construction



Aug. 21, 1945. A DE N A 2,383,372

RAIL CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 25, 1943 1 v 1 FJCZL' i': i i/Z L I l I.i2 2

I 4 22 1 i i l I l V INVENTOR v lberi 6. 17am,

Patented Aug. 21, 1945 RAIL CONSTRUCTION Albert Dean, Narberth, Pa.,assignor to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., acorporation of Pennsylvania Application October 25, 1943, Serial No.507,510

' 4 Claims. (c1. 105-10) The invention relates to railway cars and moreparticularly to the diaphragms forming enclosures for the space betweenadjacent ends of coupled cars.

It is a primary object of the invention to pro It is a further object ofthe invention to provide an arrangement for the support of the outerdiaphragm which precludes extension thereof beyond the a'ssociated faceplate and hence precludes the danger of its fouling with parts of theadjacent coupled car.

These and other objects and the manner in which they are attained willbecomecle'ar from the following detailed description when read inconnection with the drawing forming a part of this specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic end elevational view of a rail carhaving the invention applied thereto, the view being taken along theline 1-! of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 2 is a similar diagrammatic-plan view of the adjacent ends of twocoupled cars equipped with the invention, most of the structureextending between the spaced car end walls and lateral portions of theend walls being shown in horizon tal section taken at a levelsomewhatbelow the top of the doorways in the car ends;

Fig. 3 is a view similar toFig. 2 showing the position of the parts whenthe coupled cars are rounding acurve.

In the drawing, the spaced end wallsrof the two coupled cars aredesignated, respectively, In and ll. Each end wall is provided as usualwith a central doorway having a frame, as I 2, extending around it.

Supported from each end wall for in and out and pivotal movement withrespect thereto is the face plate l3, which face plate has the usualbottom, side and top portions framing a doorway therein aligned with thedoorway in the end wall of the associated car. The present face platedifiers mainly from the usual face plate in having an upward extension,as M, terminating substantially at the roof and conforming in its topmargin substantially to the transverse contour of the roof of the car.

Any usual means may be provided for supporting the face plate from theadjacent car end. In the diagrammatic showing of the drawing,

7 such means comprise upper and lower center stems l5 and I6,respectively, supported and guided in a usual manner for in and outmovement in the end of the adjacent car. To provide for the pivotalmovement of the faceplate the stems l5 and I6 may be connected byvertical pivots l1 and I8, respectively, to the projections, as I1 andI8, from the inward side of the face plate.

To provide a usual inner closed passageway between cars the sides andtop members of the face plate I3 flanking the doorway opening thereinare connected to the sides and top of the door frame in the adjacent carend by a usual flexible inner diaphragm, as IS.

The face plate is normally urged to an outward limit position by buffersprings (not shown) associated with the stems l5 and '16, in a usualmanner and also by additional spring means to be later described.

In modern high speed streamline trains it is desirable also tosubstantially close the space between the outer margins of the coupledcars. This is effected by an outer flexible diaphragm, as 20, normallyextending around the sides and top margins of the car end and securedthereto on the one hand, as at 2!, and on the other hand to the supportstructure 22 now to be described.

Such support structure is carried by the face plate, and may comprisetwolateral parts 22a and 22b. Each part comprises a toptransverse member23 conforming to the contour of the roof and merging at its outer endinto the lateral vertically extending portion 24 conforming to thecontour of a car side and connected to a bottom transversely extendingmember 25. I

It will be seen by reference to the drawing that the top transversemembers are each pivoted, at 26, to a lug 26 projecting from the inwardside of the top extension M of the face plate I3 on a common verticalpivot.

At the bottom simplicity of mounting is attained by having the innerends of the members 25 both pivoted on the same pivot as the pivot 3'about which the face plate turns on the center stem l6.

To permit lightness with adequate stifiness, the transverse members 25may be of inwardly facing channel section and the side, vertical and toptransverse members may be of angular section. The outward margin of theflexible diaphragm 20 is secured to the continuous angular marginalmember so formed by the two parts 22a and 22b to close the space betweensaid member and the end wall margin of the car at sides and top.

It will be seen that the top and bottom transverse members 23 and 25have a substantial over- 22b, to their outward limit position againstthe stops so provided, top and bottom coil springs, as 21 and 28, may beprovided, these springsreacting at their opposite ends with the adjacentcar end wall and with the support members 22a and 221), through theirtop and bottom transverse members 23 and 25, respectively.

After the support members 22a and 22b have been moved to their outwardpositions against the stops formed by the rear face of the face plateI3, the outer. diaphragm is held 'in taut condition. With the. springsarranged as shown they also act either alone or in conjunction with theusual buffer springs, to move the faceplate l3 outwardly. v The partsare so proportioned and related, that the periphery of the members 22aand22b are stopped from outward movement before their outward facesquite reach the plane of the outer face of the face plate, so that whentwo cars equipped with the invention are coupled together, see Fig. 2, aslight spacing exists between-these members 22a and 22b and theircorresponding members on the adjacent coupled car, avoiding wear onthese parts'when the. face plates slide laterally on each other,ashappens for example, in the cross over from one track to another. VThe outer flexible diaphragm, according tothis arrangement may be madeof durable'material, such as canvas, whichhas little orno stretch. Theoperation of the arrangement is believed clear from the foregoingdescription and the showing in Figs. 2 and 3, and need not be furtherdescribed herein.

Whilea specific form shown and described it will be understood thatchanges and modifications may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the main features of the invention, and suchchanges and modifications are intended to. be covered by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is: I

1. In combination, a rail car end wallhaving a doorway opening therein,an inner diaphragm face plate supported in spaced relation from said endwall for in and out and pivotal movement substantially in theverticalcentral plane of the car, said face plate being laterally of a width toprovide a framed doorway opening therein and extending from top tobottom of the car, 'an

of the invention has been r inner flexible diaphragm connecting thesides and tops of said doorway openings, lateral members togetherconforming to the sides and top of the car, each said members havinginwardly extending portions at top and bottom overlapping the inner faceof said face plate and pivoted thereto at top and bottom substantiallyin the central plane of the cane flexible outer diaphragm connecting thesides and top of said lateral members with the periphery of the sidesand top of said car end, and means urging said members and face plateoutwardly to maintain said outer diaphragm taut.

2. In combination, a rail car end wall, a di phragm face plate ofsubstantially less wid h than the car end wall but extending from top tobottom thereof and supported in spaced relation from said end wall forin and out and pivotal movement substantially in the central verticalplane of the car, lateral members hinged to the inward side of said faceplate substantially in thecentral vertical plane thereof and limited intheir outward swinging movement by engagement with the inward side ofsaid face plate, the combined outer peripheral portions of said membersconforming at sides and top to the sides and top of the car ends, aflexible diaphragm connecting the peripheral sides and top portions of asaid members with the periphery of the sides and topof the car end wall,and means urging the said members and face plate outwardly to maintainsaid diaphragm taut.-

3. The combination of claim 2' in which the bottom of the face plate ispivotally mounted on a center stem, and the lateral members are pivotedon the face plate by pivot means common to said center stem pivot.

4. In combination, a rail car end wall, 9, diaphragm face platesurrounding a doorway opening therein and extending substantially fromtop to bottom of said endwall, said face plate being supported in spacedrelation from said end wall for in and out and pivotal movementsubstantially in the central vertical plane of the car, lateral membersconnected by hinges to the inward side of said face plate on hinge linesdisposing the hinges associated with the respective members somedistance inwardly from the adjacentportions of the side margins of saidface plate, whereby said members have substantial overlap with said faceplate and are limited in their outward swinging movement by saidoverlapping engagement with the inward side of the face plate, aflexible diaphragm connecting the peripheral side and top portions ofsaid members with the periphery of the sides and top of the car endwall, and means urging said mem bers and face plate outwardly tomaintain said diaphragm taut. i I

. ALBERT G. DEAN.

